This summer has been one for the books! We took a lot of time during this transition to enjoy our new surroundings and that meant quite a few beach trips. The girls really enjoyed going so we were inspired to go at least once a week. While they enjoyed playing in the sand and water, my favorite part was looking around for sea glass and interesting shells and such. I have just always loved the “hunt.” Whether it is thrifting, looking for crystals in the mountains, or looking for sea glass on the beach….. I really enjoy it.

This above shell was from our very first beach trip this summer. Not too much, but it got me (and even my husband and daughters) into making the hunt a part of our beach time.

Of course, I mainly look for sea glass as I have ideas for it, but I also think it’s fun to find interesting textures and colors. Even broken down things can be beautiful when you can see them that way. In the above picture, the pretty blue chunky piece was actually gifted to me as I was searching the beach. A passerby asked if I was looking for sea glass and I said yes and he gifted me the gorgeous piece. Made my day 🙂

Another day we were all excited to see all kinds of sea sponges that had washed up on the shore. The girls really thought it was neat and my oldest found this empty horse crab shell to put her finds in.

Now my husband has found the most unique pieces so far….pottery!!!! Both pieces shown in the pics. I couldn’t believe it! ha! The one who wasn’t even really looking for anything finds the cool stuff, right?

One time I found some driftwood pieces and when I got home I looked at them and felt like they all looked like types of animals! I quickly took pics of them on a white background and drew over it using an app on my ipad. This would be so fun to do for a kid to draw over, or even an adult like me!

Sometimes things wash up that are unfamiliar too. Like this creature above. We looked it up and believe it to be a blue button jellyfish. I think the hurricane pushed them up this way as it seems they are usually down in the Florida area. But they sure were pretty! It looked almost like jewelry. Nature is just the prettiest.

Now it’s time to start embracing fall. Usually I’m chomping at the bit to buy a porch full of pumpkins and decorate in all things fall, but not this year. Maybe it’s because there’s so much on our plates with working on buying a new home, getting girls adjusted to school, and all the other good stuff that happens this time of year. I still plan on taking some walks on the beach to see what I find even when the weather gets cooler though. I can’t wait until I have some time to sit down and create with some of these finds. Does anyone else enjoy combing the beach? -jess

This simple diy is the first of a few projects you will see me blog about for the Cricut Design Space Star Contest that has begun this month. A bunch of us bloggers are on different teams and have a different challenge each month. We get to create using our Cricut Explore and share as many projects as we want for a chance to win prizes. This month we had to choose between paper or home decor and then pick a unique theme for it. My team went with home decor and we chose beach as our theme. Guess what? During this time, they are also giving away a Cricut Explore machine every day until the end of July!!! I will share more details at the end of the post about that, but here is the quick how to for this little driftwood sailboat with quote.

You will need a few things: a piece of dried out driftwood, fabric for the sail, a stick to hold up the sail, glue (I used a hot glue gun), ribbon, iron on vinyl of your choice, iron, scissors, and of course an Explore machine. I started by cutting out a 90 degree triangle for the sail. I used a vintage linen so it had this pretty edging on the side.

Then I went and created the quote in Design Space. I used one of my favorite fonts, Channel, and then searched the image library for “flourish” and found that little squiggly at the bottom. I measured my fabric triangle to determine how to place my words. Then I got my Explore all set up, put the vinyl on the mat, and started the cutting process. Since this is an iron on, make sure to choose the “mirror image” option before cutting.

Then I pulled off the vinyl, leaving the words behind. I placed the quote where I wanted and placed a thin cloth on top. Then I ironed it in place according to directions.

Next I glued on three pieces of ribbon to be glued onto the stick. I wrapped them around the stick and glued them in place.

Then I glued the stick on the large piece of driftwood. I used hot glue, but I would really suggest something stronger or even drilling a hole and gluing it into that. But, this is decoration for my house and will be high on a shelf, so the hot glue is good enough for me. After the glue dried, I glued down the outer corner of the sail onto the driftwood. And that is it.

Want to win a Cricut Explore machine for yourself??? All you have to do is upload a photo of any project you have made and tag it with #cricut and #imadeit on either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. It can be any project whatsoever! It does not have to be made with a Cricut. I would love it if you tagged me as well so I can see what you are posting 🙂 See the sidebar buttons to find me. I hope some of you all get to win one! Remember, this is going on through the end of this month.

Disclosure: I am part of the Cricut Blogger Network and have used affiliate links. I received a complimentary machine to facilitate my crafts and though I am not being paid for this post, I am submitting it for a chance to win some fun prizes.

Welcome to my blog Happy Together. My name is Jessica Fediw and this is where I share my adventures in life, crafting, and more. Thanks for stopping by!

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